First, there was the Texas mall shooter, a Hispanic man named Mauricio Garcia, who allegedly had Nazi swastika tattoos according to images discovered on social media on an obscure Russian website discovered by a CIA-connected Bellingcat contractor .
Now, we have an equally strange incident, but perhaps even more puzzling in terms of the circumstances, the lack of a clear motive and the apparent profile of the suspect.
A U-Haul truck crashed into a security barrier near the White House Monday night in what federal officials suspect was an intentional act.
A U-Haul truck crashes near the White House.
I wonder if a manifesto has already been written on the driver’s behalf… pic.twitter.com/A8qV64Yiir
— Gain of Fauci (@DschlopesIsBack) May 23, 2023
The truck was found to have a Nazi flag inside, further raising concerns among local authorities.
Because cops always take evidence from a potential terrorist vehicle and display it clearly in front of the media and then carefully fold it back up and take it away. This is something the police always do. https://t.co/Myn2ZoyNSf pic.twitter.com/x3XplOxiX0
— Peachy Keenan (@KeenanPeachy) May 23, 2023
The suspect’s name? Sai Varshith Kandula, a 19-year-old from Chesterfield, Missouri, who was later arrested and charged by the United States Park Police.
The suspect who drove the U-Haul into the security barriers near the White House has been identified, carrying a swastika flag, which authorities carefully and perfectly placed on the ground for the photo perfect
His name is Sai Varshith Kandula. pic.twitter.com/5bt0vIzHk7
— Viva Frei (@thevivafrei) May 23, 2023
The incident occurred shortly before 10 p.m. when the U-Haul truck crashed through the barriers on the north side of Lafayette Square near the Black Lives Matter Plaza on 16th Street NW. Fortunately, no Secret Service or White House personnel were injured during the incident, according to a Secret Service spokesman.
The U.S. Park Police released a statement saying their initial investigation suggests Kandula intentionally crashed the truck into the bollards surrounding Lafayette Park. It is not yet clear whether Kandula has legal representation and information about his court appearance was not immediately released.
Kandula faces several charges, including assault with a dangerous weapon, reckless operation of a motor vehicle, threatening to harm the president, vice president or their family members, destruction of federal property and trespassing. Authorities have not yet released any information about a possible motive for their actions.
An eyewitness, Benjamin Berger, who was visiting Washington, DC, at the time, described hearing the crash and seeing the truck repeatedly crash into the barrier. He voiced his concern and quickly fled the scene, joining others fleeing.
Video footage and a police source revealed that a red flag with a Nazi symbol was found on the truck. After the incident, a bomb squad was dispatched and a robot was used to safely open the U-Haul. After conducting a thorough search, the Secret Service confirmed that the truck posed no further threat.
The whereabouts of President Joe Biden at the time of the incident were not immediately known, according to NBC News. However, law enforcement officials told NBC News that no weapons or explosives were discovered inside the truck. However, the suspect allegedly made threatening statements related to the White House.
Tire marks visible on a curb near a series of metal poles around Lafayette Park served as testimony to the force of the collision. As a result of the ongoing investigation, streets from 15th to 17th NW and H to K NW have been temporarily closed, causing disruptions to vehicular and pedestrian traffic.
The Metropolitan Police Department, along with DC Fire and EMS, is assisting in the investigation.
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